Monterey, CA Home Business: Customer Traffic Restrictions (2026)

" The code does not attach a numeric visitor cap or a maximum number of daily client trips, so compliance is judged qualitatively by the Community Development Director against what is normal for a residential street, meaning a home business that generates a steady stream of client cars, deliveries, or foot traffic beyond what a typical household produces can be found out of compliance even without violating any other condition. That traffic standard works together with the parking condition at § 38-108(B)(7), which requires that a home occupation not reduce or render unusable the areas provided for the residents' required off-street parking, and specifically preserves the number of cars intended to be parked in the garage, so a business cannot convert garage or driveway parking into work or storage space at the expense of household parking capacity.

Because home occupations must be conducted only within the dwelling unit or an accessory structure, and are barred from any outdoor operation, a business that draws customers to wait or gather outside the residence would also run into the no-outdoor-operation condition at § 38-108(B)(6). Together these conditions function as Monterey's practical limit on customer visits: no client parking overflow, no garage displacement, and no noticeable increase in street traffic tied to the business.